Burlington-South Burlington Beckley

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Burlington-South Burlington to Beckley is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.9 to 88.4 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,225/mo.

-$21,391
BLS median salary lower in Beckley
225 to 242
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
11.9:1 to 13.1:1
NCES student-teacher ratio

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 100.9 → 88.4
Rent Delta: -$1,225/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 13% lower cost of living
  • + $1225/mo cheaper rent (2BR)

Cons of Moving

  • - $21K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 100.9 to 88.4, so each dollar covers more in Beckley (ratio 0.88). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,225/mo ($14,700/yr) from $2,140 in Burlington-South Burlington to $915 in Beckley.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Beckley sits #10 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Burlington-South Burlington is #114/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $21,391 lower ($78,385 → $56,994). Labor-market size: 108,730 tracked jobs at origin vs 37,740 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: West Virginia scores 82 (A, #2/51) vs Vermont at 54 (D, #36/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Burlington-South Burlington
Beckley
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.9
RPP 88.4
Beckley
Rent (2BR)
$2,140/mo
$915/mo
Beckley
Wages
$78,385
$56,994
Burlington-South Burlington
Crime
225 per 100K
242 per 100K
Burlington-South Burlington
Schools
11.9:1
13.1:1
Burlington-South Burlington
Childcare
N/A
$8,974/yr
Tie
Environment
1111 violations
2508 violations
Burlington-South Burlington

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Vermont
54 D #36/51
Income tax
65
Property tax
52
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
78
Destination state · West Virginia
82 A #2/51
Income tax
80
Property tax
86
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
64

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Burlington-South Burlington to see what you'd need to earn in Beckley to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Beckley
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026